State Rep. Randy Ramey (R-Carol Stream) was cited earlier this week for driving under the influence of alcohol.

Ramey was pulled over by the Carol Stream Police Department at 2:10 a.m. on Sunday while heading westbound on Lies Road, according to the department’s report.

Carol Stream Police Chief Kevin Orr said Ramey was pulled over on improper lane usage and drifting into oncoming traffic.

Ramey blew a 0.179 on a breathalyzer test, which is slightly twice over the legal limit. He was then released on an individual bond, which promises a perpetrator arrive in court for a hearing, Orr said.

“He was very, very cooperative,” Orr said during a phone interview Tuesday. “He was given four sobriety tests and failed all of them.”

Ramey, 48, released a written statement apologizing for the incident.

“On Sunday morning I was issued a citation by the Carol Stream Police Department for driving under the influence of alcohol,” Ramey said in the statement. “I regret and take full responsibility for my actions and I am prepared to face the consequences. I am deeply sorry to disappoint my family and my constituents.”

Illinois House Republican Spokeswoman Vicki Crawford had no new details to give but said that Ramey was “at a restaurant bar visiting the owner.”

When asked if the House Republican’s cared to comment on the situation, Crawford said, “we’re just sticking with (Ramey’s statement) and the facts given to us.”

Ramey, 48, took over as chairman of the county’s Republican Party in July, filling in for Former Chairman Dan Cronin. Ramey is also the stepson of former State Senate President James Philip from Wood Dale.

Rick Jones walked into Johnny’s Ice House East Wednesday morning in a shirt and tie.

Jones, 57, is real estate lawyer in Chicago. He was calm and neatly groomed after appearing in court. But after hitting the ice for over an hour, he was sweaty and out of breath.

Players scuffle for the puck near center ice. (Photo By Matt Gentile and Kara Drapala)

Playing a quick game of pick-up hockey helps him relieve some unwanted stress.

“It’s a great way to blow off steam,” Jones said. “I needed it today.”

Like Jones, many people come to Johnny’s Ice House to play rat hockey throughout the week. The term rat hockey stems from the moniker “rink rat,” which is associated with players that hang around the hockey rink for hours, working on their game.

The Ice House has rat hockey everyday of the week at its east location. Its west location,  which is where the Chicago Blackhawks hold their practices,
has two sessions a week on Thursdays and Sundays.

“We have so many people that come to the ice (for rat hockey),” said Ken Rzepecki, a coach and instructor at Johnny’s Ice House for 11 years.

“They’re all from different walks of life,” Rzepecki said. “But we get a lot of guys who are doctors and lawyers.”

Jones didn’t start playing ice hockey until late in life. He took up the sport when he was 42-years-old shortly after learning how to skate.

“I started skating and I enjoyed it,” Jones said. “It’s good exercise. [There are] great people. The best people I’ve ever met are hockey players.”

The rink at Johnny’s Ice House usually fills up with the maximum capacity of 26 players for rat hockey. Nearly half of those players are at the rink every day, Rzepecki said.

“It’s a social thing,” he said. “Where can you park 10 cars in [Chicago] and just have fun? The hockey family is a very unique family.”

Unlike Jones, a lot of the regulars have played hockey since they were kids.

Sam Wilson, a 23-year-old from Lincoln Park, played youth hockey but stopped after his Division III career at Creighton University. He recently graduated with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and is entering the school’s pharmaceutical program.

Wilson said he comes to the rink most of the week to get a good workout.

“It’s more fun than just going to the gym and just sitting on the treadmill,” Wilson said.

The lone goalie watches the play at the far end of the rink. (Photo By Matt Gentile and Kara Drapala)

Robert Barrett, a 25-year-old construction worker from suburban Detroit, moved to Chicago days ago. He started playing hockey when he was three-years-old and also played Division III at Wittenberg University in Ohio.

Barrett decided to stop playing organized hockey and focus on a business major at Loyola University. But he still enjoys his time during rat hockey.

“It’s great because we all just play for fun,” he said. “Most of these guys don’t get too rough because they have jobs to get back to.”

He also said the mix of talent ranges from newcomer to professional.

“We got a lot of junior guys [and] some pros come out here,” Barrett said. “The pros come out in the summer and have a skate around right after us.”

Patrick Walker, 31, is an investment banker for the Royal Bank of Scotland. He was about five-years-old when he took up the sport but stopped playing before attending Indiana University.

Walker comes six blocks from work to play once or twice a week and said there is a mutual respect among the players during the rat hockey time.

“No one here is going to fight or check each other because some of us have to go back to work,” he said. “To be honest, the quality of talent on the ice [during rat hockey] is better than the talent in the leagues.”

Rick Jones watches from the boards as a teammate attempts a wrist shot. (Photo By Matt Gentile and Kara Drapala)

While most of the players have extensive experience, Johnny’s Ice House has seen plenty of newcomers, according to Ice House General Manager Kevin Rosenquist.

Rosenquist said hockey’s surge in popularity has helped the Ice House increase class enrollment for both kids and adults. In fact, the adult leagues now have over 100 teams.

But for those that don’t have erratic work hours, rat hockey sessions are the top choice.

“It’s best for people that can make their own schedule,” Rosenquist said. “Also, attendance will pick up as the summer goes on.”

Matt Gentile, a journalism major at DePaul University, recapped the Los Angeles Angels 6-2 win over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday, May 10. This looks at live-tweets, photos and video from before, during and after the game.

For whatever it’s worth, this game made history by breaking the Guinness World Record for most people wearing a wrestling mask at one event.

“L.A. Angels beat White Sox 6-2″ on Storify.com

The St. Charles East High School Saints defeated the Streamwood High School Sabres, 8-2, in the first game of a doubleheader behind a complete game from left-handed pitcher Wes Benjamin.

The win widened the Saints (15-4, 11-1) first place lead ahead of the Sabres (14-2, 8-2) in the Upstate Eight Conference River Division.

Benjamin, a Kansas recruit, improved his record to 5-0 by allowing just two unearned runs on four hits over seven innings. He also struck out nine Streamwood batters.

Things looked shaky for Benjamin in the second inning. After East quickly stormed out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning, Streamwood junior Tim Cohen reached first base on an error by East first baseman Tony Rallo.Cohen ended up scoring on an RBI-double by senior Alex Morrow. Morrow would later reach home after a wild pitch by Benjamin rolled to the backstop.

Even with Streamwood cutting the score to 3-2, Benjamin regained his focus and only surrendered one more hit the rest of the game.

“I’m pretty confident with our team’s defense,” Benjamin said. “I know they’ll be there to back me up if I struggle. Luckily, even with the wind today, I still got a lot of movement on the ball.”

Benjamin’s performance wasn’t the only thing that pushed East to victory. His teammates’ bats also helped. East ended the game with 10 hits.

Leadoff man Joseph Hoscheit started the bottom of the first inning with a solo home run deep into right-center field on only Streamwood pitcher Blake Hunter’s second pitch. After walking second baseman Jordan Hayes and giving up a double to shortstop Luke Rojas, the right-handed junior served up an RBI-single to Rallo that was smoked in the gap between first and second base.

Even though Hunter (3-1) managed to escape the inning, his day didn’t get easier from there.

Hunter recorded two quick outs in the bottom of the second inning, but then loaded the bases for an RBI-double by Rojas that scored center fielder Ryan Shaffrey and Hoscheit, making it 5-2. Hunter gave up two more runs before Sabres coach Steve Diversey pulled him for junior Dominick Tatone.

Hunter’s day ended after giving up seven runs over just 1 2/3 innings. It was his first loss of the season.

“It was just one of those days,” Diversey said. “After he gave up the runs in the first inning, we knew his command was off. But we let him back out there after we got cut the lead. Unfortunately, Blake didn’t settle down.”

Diversey chose not to start his left-handed ace, Villanova recruit Josh Harris (4-1), against Benjamin in hopes of splitting the doubleheader against East.

“Wes is a great pitcher,” he said. “I think we were overmatched by him in this one. You rarely see a kid that could be drafted in the majors on the mound. Our kids hit the ball hard, but Wes had good control and we hit a lot of grounders.”

Meanwhile, Haskins was pleased his team’s performance in the second inning, calling it the turning point of the game.

“They cut it close, and we didn’t help ourselves early by getting two quick outs,” he said. “But we bounced back nicely. I tell the guys it’s all about winning innings.

“I was really pleased with our offense [in the second inning], especially with Wes pitching as well as he did today. It took the winds out of [Streamwood's] sails early on.”

Speaking of winds, the reported 40 mph gusts swirled before Saturday’s game but eventually started blowing out toward right field as the game progressed.

Haskins said his players weren’t fazed by the it.

“I think the wind helped us out a little today,” Haskins said. “It helped carry the ball a little farther than usual for us, and Wes was on early.”

Benjamin said wind was nothing new to his team.

“On this field, we always seem to have wind blowing in a lot,” Benjamin said. “We’re used to it. My teammates always do a great job dealing with it, and they stay with the ball defensively.”

Clark has had numerous gigs in the business. His journey in the online realm started in 1997 as a web editor for Extreme House, a website part of AOL Greenhouse. Clark then became a beat writer and web editor on WhiteSox.com before doing odd jobs at the CBSSports.com, the Golf Channel and MLB.com.

He now is the senior editorial producer at Comcast SportsNet Chicago. His responsibilities include editing online content, working with the website’s producers and acting as a liaison between the television and web personnel.

“There is no such thing as a normal day here,” Clark said to a group of DePaul University students during a tour of CSN Chicago.

Clark’s journey captures the how the sports journalism business demands its reporters to adapt to new trends quickly.

“Don’t think you’ll be settled in one spot for years,” he said. “If you are consider yourself lucky.”

The start of his career was in the heart of the HTML days, when web reporting was scarce and multimedia wasn’t a thought.

“Video, audio wasn’t even considerable when I started,” Clark said. “It was the wild wild west back in the day. There was no blogosphere then. It can be grueling nowadays.”

Clark has helped spearhead CSNChicago.com’s web-based reporting. For years, the site was just an informational hub that gave visitors’ television schedules for Chicago’s sports teams. Now, it’s bloomed into a mecca of blogs, videos and original reporting.

Chuck Garfien, one of CSN’s more notable reporters, told students that he too has adapted to the new trends in sports journalism.

Garfien had worked solely in sports broadcasting for years but now has taken to the new trends, writing a White Sox blog for CSN’s website.

“When I started, there was no Internet,” he said. “The industry has changed immensely the last three years. You want to be a good writer.

“I now write (for our newscasts). I write for online, I write for other broadcasts.

Garfien also reaches out to viewers and readers on Twitter, even though he was reluctant when the social network site started.

“I hated it. I thought it was stupid,” he said.

However, he warmed up to it because it helped him link off stories from his blog and or tell followers about upcoming SportsNet Central newscasts.

“If you want to be in this business, you have to be on Twitter,” Garfien said. “It can be beneficial. You as a person are a brand. The number of people who read or watch you on TV want to keep up with that brand.”

What You Need To Know About Today’s HUGE NFL Lockout Hearing

Business Insider’s Dashiell Bennett wrote a  piece last week regarding the lockout hearing between the players and NFL owners. Bennett wrote the article as a guide that laid out the NFL Players Association ‘s argument and then addressed some frequently asked questions. He also gave readers some potential scenarios that could come out of the hearing.

It is easy to get lost in legal mumbo-jumbo. That is why this story is good for helping fans understand the lockout and hearing process in layman’s terms.

ESPN Salary Crunch

ESPN’s Salary Crunch machine allows users to compare their salaries with a professional athlete’s salary. Users type their annual salary into a number crunching machine to see what it takes for an athlete to earn those yearly wages. It also shows readers how long they need to work to earn that athlete’s salary.

For instance, if your annual salary is $40,000, Knicks’ All-Star Carmelo Anthony earn your salary by playing less than one game, scoring just over three points, grabbing one rebound and dishing out less than one assist. In turn, it would take you around 541 years to make Anthony’s annual salary.

ESPN updates this every couple of months with newer contracts. While it keeps most readers depressed,  it also serves as a great interactive tool to show readers how high professional athletes’ contracts can be.

2011 Giveaways

This was a slide show done by FoxSports.com before MLB’s Opening Day. Readers can look at pictures in the slide show and read captions explaining different promotions from around the league.

While a majority of them are bobblehead giveaways, there are pictures that capture some of these promotions’ overall absurdity or uniqueness. And with some high ticket prices around the league,  readers might want to see if these promotional gigs are worth some of the bang for their buck.

YourSeason.com

YourSeason.com is a website created by the Chicago Sun-times that reports on Chicago-area high school sports. Given that most newspapers have cut coverage of high school sports, the website fills a void.

It features traditional game stories and columns, but there are also highlight videos of the week’s biggest games. The site gives readers a chance to follow their local sports scene and see which high school players are top recruiting prospects.

Gary Andrew Poole wrote a piece for the Columbia Journalism Review pleading that modern sports writers return to the old school roots. Buster Olney, ESPN senior baseball writer, agreed that old school sports writing is dead.

“Today, in [400] words you can get the basic details of the game story,” Olney told Poole, “but you miss the details and the anecdotes. It’s interesting, and important, to know how the players and managers think, why they made certain decisions. That’s the cool stuff, and it’s getting lost.”

It’s true. Game stories are reminiscent of something from the cop beat. They contain hard news, all facts and no creative writing or perspective.

Like Poole,  longtime sports journalist Buzz Bissinger also pines for the old days. His gripes are with the blogosphere.

In 2008, Bissinger and Deadspin founder Will Leitch got into a heated debate on HBO’s Costas Now over the topic.

“I think that blogs are dedicated to cruelty,” Bissinger said. “They’re dedicated to journalistic dishonesty. They’re dedicated to speed.”

He makes a valid point.

Deadspin is known for quick-hitting, snarky posts that come from a fan’s perspective. Its writers often critique players, coaches and even sportscasters.

The site is also popular for posting pictures of sports personalities doing questionable things in public. For instance, it posted pictures of Texas Rangers’ slugger Josh Hamilton relapsing at a bar after four years of sobriety.

Some of its Deadspin’s content is questionable, but it does delivers quick information, links off to credible news sources and provides unique perspectives.

That, and its ability to be interactive with readers, makes it more enticing than old school journalism. New age journalism allows readers to comment on pieces and discuss them with other readers.

In this case, staying on the fence might be the best solution.

Sports journalists need to reclaim the old school techniques but become more interactive with readers.

Some established writers are beginning to adopt new age skills like Twitter, chats and blogs.  Former print veterans like Olney, Michael Wilbon and Rick Reilly are using these methods while writing in-depth stories and columns.

It’s an ongoing process for sports journalists to strike a balance. But once that balanced is reached, some will own their beats in a whole new way.

By Matt Gentile and James Mazurek

The Chicago Youth Initiating Change (CYIC) hosted its fourth annual social justice expo on May 20 at Truman College. Students from all areas of the city and the nearby suburbs attended the event.

The CYIC uses its social justice exposition every year to aware of issues to bring about social change.

The event featured student displays reminiscent of those presented at a local science fair. Except instead of focusing on scientific topics, they focused on housing foreclosures, racial and gender discrimination and immigration rights.

Other major topics included gentrification, media manipulation and improving meals at schools.

The CYIC is constructed of volunteers, ranging from activists, teachers and students. Shanti Elliot, a volunteer that is one of the primary forces in coordinating the expo every year, said the organization is mostly student driven.

“The students who have been involved in this event…[were] also involved in the [Chicago Public Schools] protests,” Elliot said. “Specifically focusing on the budget cuts and the affects it’s going to have on the students as well as cafeteria food.”

The recent CPS cuts were the topic that received a lot of attention at the expo.

The cuts have caused made many organizations, students, and teachers around Chicago go to the picket line. CPS students did a study-in to protest the state’s budget cuts and lack of funding toward education on May 25 outside of Daley Plaza.

Some districts throughout the state have been forced to cut staff due to lack of funding. The CPS hasn’t made any sweeping staff cuts, but the Chicago Tribune reported last week that CPS CEO Ron Huberman is preparing for the worst while preparing next school year’s budget and is considering raising the class sizes to as high as 25 percent.

“[Students] have been [protesting], in terms of the budget cuts, sports programs being cut at J.V. level,” Elliot said. “A lot of the AVID and I.B. programs have been cut. The class size has been raised to 37 students. Students are asking the administrators to make other cuts at the top instead of making more cuts that are going to hurt the students.”

Besides the displays, the expo included workshops, discussions and speeches on topics such as the CPS budget cuts and policies, militarization of schools and immigrant rights.

There was also a Half Pint Poetics poetry slam. The poetry slam was composed of 10 teams with students from ages 8 to 14. Each team hailed from either an elementary school or community group.

The poetry slam is presented by Kuumba Lynx, an arts and education organization founded in 1996. Kuumba Lynx offers programming in the forms of workshops, special events, and ensembles, said Jaquanda Villegas, one of its three founders.

Villegas said Kuumba Lynx is a tool to make young people aware of the social problems around them.

“I point to how violence in Chicago is out of control,” she said. “We really need to stop and teach them at [8-years-old and 14-years-old] while they’re still developing their ideas. We serve as a space and let kids interact with others in the community.”

One team, the Purpose of Life, performed a poem that keyed in on racial and social equality. Quraysh Ali Lansana, one of the team’s coaches, said the kids on their team range from 10 to 14-years-old.

Lansana, who is also an associate professor at Chicago State University in english and creative writing and specializes in studying hip hop related arts and social justice, said members of the team write their own material based off group discussion. Lansana and his wife then help mesh them into group pieces.

He pointed out that many children understand the world from their own lived culture or language they access in media but that nowadays, both have become mainstream. He said the poetry they are doing, however, can make children more aware to social justice issues.

“Eighteen years ago, Snoop Dogg debuted on Dr. Dre’s [The Chronic album] and was the world’s most dangerous emcee and now he’s selling us Chryslers with Lee Iacocca,” Lansana said.

“These boys, and many young boys and girls, have to navigate both those worlds. [They] have to understand the tongue of their nouns because it’s cool, and it’s in the moment. While at the same time being able to be serious about their minds…[and] thinking about other kids and thinking about other issues.”

While the CYIC was happy with the outcome, as viewed by the homepage of its web site, not everyone agrees with the way the organization presented the expo. Some of the messages conveyed there might have raised a few eyebrows.

The admittedly conservative blog, ChicagoNewsBench.com, suggested the event spread communist messages to children by having displays on Che Guevara and Malcolm X as well as a poster saying, “Impeach Daley and the CPS Board.”

However, Elliot denied in a phone interview on May 28 that CYIC is using the expo to spread communist propaganda.

“The [Social Justice Expo] and the curriculum are based on issues that students identify with in their lives,” Elliot said. “Some students are dealing with injustices, inequities or other issues in schools, and it gives them a way to speak to an issue.

“This had nothing to do with teaching particular schools of thought. But, it gives them ways to see how to deal with injustices in their lives.”

The event had a smaller number of elementary school students than middle school and high school students. In fact, the only third grade students at the expo were from Inter-American Magnet School and Lincoln Elementary School.

However, Elliot said the organization also has concerns about some of the content being shown to children at the expo.

“Both the students and CYIC leaders do worry about age appropriateness,” she said. “We think third graders aren’t going to understand most of those messages. No one, at any age, is forced to look at that and understand that. [The expo] gives students a space to explore what they feel they need to know.

“Adults in CYIC are there to support the curiosity of students. We don’t say ‘you have to be behind that.’ Our meetings are facilitated by students. The adults just put logistics into place.”

As of March 31, no arrests have been made in connection with the muggings, which occurred in late July and early August. The Chicago police believe five of the muggings were linked to each other.

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Most of the victims were males in their early to mid-20s. The victims were walking alone and were confronted from behind by at least four male attackers in the their 20s, Chicago police said.

The Chicago police also said attackers asked the victims for their wallets before severely beating them. Two victims were beaten so badly that they were taken to the hospital.